The Nike Cortez is one of Nike oldest silhouettes, and its popularity is greatest in the hip hop hotbed of Compton, California. Some of So Cal's biggest emcees have rocked the Cortez, like Snoop Dogg, Eazy E and Kendrick Lamar (before he adopted Reebok as his sneaker of choice).
Nike has definitely noted the city’s affinity for the Cortez, and they’re (supposedly) paying tribute to Hub City with the release of two new Nike Cortez sneakers. No explicit mention of Compton appears on the shoes, but their simple but tough black and white monochromatic colorways are representative of N.W.A. and other seminal acts from the city. The shoes are also embroidered with ‘1972’ on each heel, the year the Nike Cortez originally released. If the font isn’t the same as the iconic ‘Compton’ script, it’s pretty damn close.
Both Nike Cortez 1972 sneakers will release April 29 at retailers like Oneness.